Thermostatic valve



(No Model.)

- M. LEITGH. THERMOSTATIG VALVE.

No. 593,399. Patented Nov. 9, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MEREDITH LEITOH, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WVARREN WEBSTERAND COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

THERMO-STATIC VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,399, dated November9, 1897. Application filed January 5, 1897. Serial No. 618,023. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MEREDITH LEITCH, of Richmond, Henric'o county,Virginia, have invented an Improvement in Thermostatic Valves, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates'to thermostatic valves; and it consists of theimprovements which are fully set forth in the following specification reand shown in the accompanying drawings. My invention relatesparticularly to valves of that class which employ an expansible memberwhich expands and operates the valve when its temperature is raised.Ordinarily such valves are regulated to close when the expansible memberis subjected to steam and to open when it is subjected to water or air.In the many valves of this character the chief difficulty has been metin providing a satisfactory expansible piece, which must be bothsensitive and durable. In that class of valves in which the expansiblemember is formed of composition of matter great difficulties have beenmet owing to want of durability and the liability of the expandingmemher to become bent and injured owing to careless adjustment, so thatafter considerable use the expanding members are liable to operatedefect-ively and must either be readjusted or replaced. In that class ofvalves in which metallic expansible members have been used difficultyhas been met in making the valve sufficiently sensitive. In both classesfacility of adjustment has been lacking. IVhere valves are applied toradiators filled with steam, the adjustment may of course beaccomplished by observing their operation; but when the valves areapplied to cold radiators in the erection of a steam-heating systemgreat difficulty has been met in making a proper adjustment. Thedifficulty has been due to the liability of screwing the expansiblemembers down too tight,which, in addition to preventing the valves fromoperating and rendering a readjustment necessary after the radiators arein use, is liable to permanently injure the valve. 4

It is the object of this invention to provide a valve of simpleconstruction which may be easily and accurately adjusted as well whenthe radiator is cold as when it is filled with steam and withoutliability of the expansible member being screwed down so tight as to bebent or injured.

Incarrying out my invention I employ an adjustable core-piece carried bythe valvebody and an expansible piece supported at one end by thecore-piece and carrying on its other or free end thevalve-piece, whichis so located as to be immediately adjacent to the end of thecore-piece. The effect of this construction is that in the aj ustment ofthe valve when the core-piece is screwed down until the valve-piece isfirmly pressed upon its seat the end of the core-piece abuts against thevalvepiece and further adjustment is prevented,

and there is consequently no danger of the expansible piece becomingbent or injured. The fitter knows that the valve-piece is just on theseat, and with a couple of turns in the reverse direction the core andvalve-piece will be moved back just sufficiently to be in operativeposition. Thus the valvemay be accurately adjusted at all times.

My invention also includes the combination,

with the valve-body provided with its valve-' seat and the valve-pieceadapted to close thereon, of a compound metallic spiral expanding piececarrying the valve-piece at one end and a core-piece supported by thebody and supporting the spiral expanding piece at the opposite end tothat which carries the valve-piece and extending through the spiralpiece and in substantial contact withit to pre vent it from bending andthus interfering with the operation of the valve-piece.

In the drawings, Figure l is avertical sectional view of a thermostaticvalve embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating amodification, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the expanding member, withthe compound spiral expansion-piece in vertical section.

A is the usual body of the valve.

B is the valve-seat.

C is the bonnet, and D is the cap which fits on the end of the bonnet.

E is the thermostatic expanding piece, con-- sisting of a core F,valve-piece G, and compound metallic piece H, composed of two metals ofdifierent degrees of expansibilitysuch as steel and brass-arranged inthe form of a spiral about the core F and secured at its upper end tothe core F and at its lower end to the valve-piece G.

The piece E is provided with a threaded end I, which is screwed into theinternallythreaded top of the bonnet O and by means of which theexpanding piece may be adjusted with reference to the valve-seat B.

J is a lock-nut within the threaded top of the bonnet 0, above thethreaded end I of the piece E, to lock the expanding piece in place.

The core H is extended so that its end h will be immediately above theupper end of the valve-piece G. I have shown the latter provided witha-shank g, which extends up.

to the end h of the core H. The special advantage of this constructionis that it greatly facilitates the adjustment of the valve and preventsit being screwed down too tight.

When the valve-piece G is forced upon the seat B, further adjustment ofthe piece E will force the end h of the core H upon the shank g of thevalve-piece, and further movementis impossible. To adjust the valve,therefore, it is only necessary to screw down the core H until itsmovement is arrested and then to make a couple of turns in the oppositedirection, which will be sufficient to lift the valvepiece G from theseat B to just about the desired extent. Thus these valves may be easily'pansibility of the component metals causes the piece to expand orunwind, and this presses the valve-piece G upon the seat B. When thepiece H becomes cooled when subjected to water or air, it contracts andlifts the valvepiece G.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a single spiral piece H isused. If desired, two or more such pieces may be employed, as in theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 2,'in which, instead of the singlespiral I-I, two spirals H H are employed.

In the drawings I have shown a screen K, surrounding the expandingmember E. This is to prevent the passage of dirt or injurious matterthrough the valve.

While Iprefer the details of construction shown, they maybe variedwithout departing from the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A thermostatic valve, embracing a body provided with a valve-seat, avalve-piece adapted when actuated to close upon the valve-seat, avalve-operatin g piece consisting of a compound metallic expanding piecearranged in the form of a spiral and carrying the valve-piece at oneend, and a core-piece supported by the body and supporting the spiralexpanding piece at the opposite end to that which carries thevalve-piece and extending through the spiral piece and in substantialcontact with it, so as to support said spiral piece and prevent the samefrom bend- 2. A valve-operating piece for a thermostatic valve embracinga central-metallic core,

a compound metallic expanding piece arranged in the form of a spiralabout the core the body and supporting the other end of the expandingpiece and having an extension immediately adjacent to the valve-pieceand adapted to abut against it so asto limit the inward adjustment ofthe adjusting and expanding pieces, when the valve-piece reaches itsseat.

4:. Inathermostatic valve the combination of an outer valve-body acore-piece adjustably carried by the valve-body, an expansible piecesupported. by the core-piece at one end, and a valve-piece carried bythe other end of the expansible piece and located immediately adjacentto the end of the core-piece, whereby the inward adjustment of thecore-piece will be limited by the valve-piece when the valve-piecereaches the valve-seat.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

MEREDITH LEITOH.

Witnesses:

WARREN WEBSTER, ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER.

